Passions - NEWS ROOM

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Saying Goodbye to Passions

As everyone knows, this has been the final week for Passions, barring some surprise resurrection in the future. Unlike some of the characters on the series, I have little faith in such things and have been watching the show quickly move to its fated conclusion. Now everyone has seen the conclusion and has gotten the ending they wanted or didn't want. Tonight, we can each say a little goodbye to all of our favorite characters. I know I'll say goodbye to Tabitha and Endora, to Esme, to Vincent, Julian and Kay, to Sheridan, Luis and Beth, to Precious, Edna and Norma and once again to Alistair since he won't be raised from the grave. I have watched since the beginning. Knowing that the end was coming, each day since the cancellation was announced has been a strange mixture of pleasure and sadness. Although the series never gained a substantial audience and was frequently trashed or ignored by critics and much of the general daytime audience, it's always had a special place in my heart that no other show will ever fill. I can honestly say that no other television show has ever meant as much to me or given me as much delight.

From its first episode, when it caused a scandal by linking Sheridan to the recently dead Princess Di, its makers were bent on doing something television makers rarely do — genuinely challenging the audience. And not in a safe or high brow way, nor in the equally safe manner reserved to sketch comedy and satire. Instead, they embraced a strange grey zone half way between seriousness and ruthless mockery. They challenged the use of time, stretching out a few minutes of story time into a week at some points. They stretched the bounds of sexuality, the convolutions of plot and the complexity of philosophical and theological argument. As stupid as Passions often seemed superficially, when subjected to deeper analysis, it comes off as one of the most clever and subversive series on TV.

There's always been something brave, or perhaps just loony, about the way it has consistently broken with all of the rules concerning good taste, good storytelling, good marketing and just about anything else. To a degree, Passions was an anti-soap opera. Most of the people I know who watched it, enjoyed it for two reasons. The first was because it was funny in a unique and rare way; sometimes acidly sardonic and at others disarmingly cute; the show's cartoon cruelty appalled some and made others laugh hysterically. But another thing that attracted people to it was that it never did what soaps were supposed to do. It embraced all of the conventions and the most ridiculous aspects of the genre and delighted in mocking everything and turning it upside down. But the creative team rarely took the easy way out, sometimes stretching the most unbelievable or ridiculous things on for periods of time which aggravated much of the audience. While this was no doubt an unwise marketing decision, it displayed a degree of creative drive, self-discipline and chutzpah almost completely lacking in popular entertainment. Believe it or not, the hardest thing in writing a script isn't telling the story, it's not telling the story, and not telling a story for years at a time is a unique achievement in the annals of TV history.

(Soaps.com)

Although the talented cast and crew deserve more credit than they're generally given, the real star of the show was always its Head Writer, Creator and Producer, James E. Reilly, perhaps one of the most controversial and divisive people to ever work in daytime. Sometimes praised, often reviled, Reilly worked on half of the major soaps, displaying a remarkable degree of diversity. He wrote for Ryan's Hope, Young and the Restless and General Hospital before becoming one of the Head Writers for Guiding Light. While there, he ushered it through the early 90's and some of the series' richest and most complex material, taking home two Emmys. When he arrived at Days of Our Lives in 1992, however, he suddenly went in a very different direction. For five years he introduced some of the most bizarre and shocking story lines on daytime, including live burials, satanic possession and some very peculiar Stefano related material. Although this move to the weird was panned, it was a giant ratings coup for a time and many shows followed suit. His plots gained soaps a broader audience and increased media attention. He even ended up as a character on the sitcom Friends.

He left amidst controversy in 1997 and went to work on Sunset Beach before creating Passions. His new series would encapsulate everything he had been working toward and give him the freedom to push the genre in a direction few would have dared to go. Filling Passions with the supernatural, the strange, and with pop culture parody, it became a cult hit, even if its rating remained low. All the same, NBC still brought him back to Days to fix it after it had taken a nose dive following his departure. Although he was eventually taken off of Days again, the show has significantly declined once again without him. Sticking with Passions, he continued to push the boundaries as far as they would go, mocking the sacred cows of the entertainment industry by trying to get an Emmy for an orangutan and seeming to enjoy his reputation as an enfant terrible. He parodied himself on the show when he created a corrupt and perverted judge with a name nearly identical to his and, in interviews, sometimes compared himself to Alistair Crane. With his magnum opus now drawing to a close, he's rumored to be retiring from the world of daytime and leaving behind a career as one of television's greatest punks.

USER COMMENTS

This was the best one. I cryed my eyes out at the ending. Theresa and Ethan was meant to be together. I hate that this was the end of Passions.

Posted by doctordave at
Thursday, August 07 2008 01:58 PM

I have watched passions from the very first day. I have enjoyed all the storylines even though some of them took forever to wrap up. I was pleased with the final episode that made you howl with laughter, sit with anticipation, and even brought a tear or two. I must say thank you to the Passions cast and crew who made the last nine years a joy to watch. They will be sorely missed. Now the big question comes is will I get involoved in another soap opera? I don't know since I was an avid fan of Another World and just like Passions was canceled. Thank you cast and crew of Passions, you will be greatly missed!!!!!

Posted by missamanda119 at
Thursday, August 07 2008 02:56 PM

Is there any way to watch the final episode online? Or what time does the mini-marathon start tomorrow?

I am so upset that they stopped showing Passions at 7 PM on DTV. I don't get home from work until then (I'm still at work now haha). I've been watching Passions since day 1 as well and thoroughly enjoyed MOST of it. It's really a shame that we have to say goodbye. I [heart] the original Miguel. I hope we get to see some of these great actors and actresses doing big things in the future!

R.I.P. Timmy...I'll have a Mar-timi in your honor!

Posted by I Loved Passions at
Thursday, August 07 2008 03:26 PM

I have been a Passions fan for years and am so sad knowing that I won't have the show to look forward to any more. I have appreciated all of the actors on the show and will miss them terribly. Each one was so unique and carried off the scenes and plots so well no matter how crazy or "way out there" some of them were.

I have been watching the show on line through NBC and am going to watch the final one tonight as soon as it is available on line -- about two hours from now. I'm torn between a feeling of excitement to see it and a feeling of despair as though I'm losing my best friend.

My thanks to all the actors and to James E. Reilly for writing, creating and producing Passions. It has been the only soap opera that ever caught my attention, and I will really miss it.

Posted by xxsunnigirlxx at
Thursday, August 07 2008 03:42 PM

U CANT STOP THE SHOW!! there has to be more... make the story last!! we want to see what happens with luis and fancy and ethan and theresa and everyone else!! whats going to happen now??? come on we need to know!!! PLEASE!!!!

Posted by TIKAFAN4EVER at
Thursday, August 07 2008 08:25 PM

Passions, I have enjoyed your company for the past seven years. It has been an incredible, but crazy ride. At the moment, I'm recording the two-part finale. I send my love to the cast and crew, and wishing them Godspeed.

Posted by slysmith at
Thursday, August 07 2008 10:00 PM

it was good today but It is sad that it had to end in a fairytale .I dont understand why they keep taking all these soaps of the air like they are doing.I think If you pay for something you should get to watch what you want on TV . I hate it because it ended and Paloma told her husband she was pregnant and so did fancy .I love Juliet Mill I think that it would not have been interesting if shewasnt playing the witch character . This was something different than the rest of the soaps , thats why I dont understand why they canceled it ,and why the ratings were bad as they say to me It was good and exciting soap to watch I hated to see it cancel sly

Posted by Blue Sky at
Friday, August 08 2008 07:52 AM

I think Passions should stay on the air..It was my favorite soap opera..More people than you think watched passions..Please bring it back..

Posted by TurboRex02 at
Friday, August 08 2008 07:55 AM

Passions has been a big part of my life since the first time I started watching it in 2000. Even if I was on vacation, I would make sure that some way I would be able to see the show; whether I recorded it or made sure that I was some place to watch it during its normal airtime.

I have always loved Ethan and Theresa and I am happy that they finally got their happy ending, as did everyone else.

I wish that the show was not being cancelled, but I did like how JR rapped most of everything up in the end. There were some things that I would like to know what had happened with (i.e. Jessica and the baby, Spike, Charity, etc.) but I still believe that the show was wrapped up nicely in the end.

I wish the best of luck to everyone that has worked on Passions. That they continue to find happiness in their careers and in their families.

Congratulations to Liza on the joy of being pregnant with a new little bundle of joy and also Galen for his new little bundle of joy.

Great job and the best of luck to all!!

Posted by s0apfan at
Friday, August 08 2008 11:14 AM

I have watched Passions since it first aired and I watched the final chapter yesterday, and I must say it was one of the best episodes to date! The cast and crew of Passions is amazing and although people would get angry about the drawn out storylines, I think it was just a way to keep you hooked and wanting to see if and when the truth will ever be revealed and although Passions was on for 10 years, I think that Theresa and Ethan will forever be one of the best couples in Soap History, Lindsey and Eric made those characters and they were phenomenal! I personally waited the 10 years to see them finally married, so thank you so much for letting this show have the happy ending it deserved. I love this show and I'll never forget it! Thank you for entertaining so many, for so long!